NEO•GRIOT

The 3rd Annual New Media

Writing Prize (worldwide)

Deadline: 11 October 2012

The Media School at Bournemouth University is delighted to announce the 3rd annual prize for new media writing. The prize encourages new media writers working to showcase their skills, and aims to provoke discussion and raise awareness of new media writing, the future of the 'written' word and storytelling.

WHO CAN APPLY

Anyone can apply! Whether you’re a student, a professional, an artist, a writer, a Flash designer or an enthusiast, the competition is open to all. It's also an international competition, open to all outside the UK. For Competitions Rules click here.

WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

There are three categories/prizes -

• Overall Winner
• Student Winner (laptop)
• People's Choice (iPad 2)

There will also be substantial media coverage of the Award, and winners will be given full acknowledgement in all press releases and related material.

WHEN IS THE DEADLINE?

Midday on Friday Oct 5th (GMT) Shortlisted entrants will be invited to the awards ceremony on Weds November 21st 2012. Winners will be announced then.

WHAT ARE WE LOOKING FOR?

We are looking for good storytelling (fiction or non-fiction) written specifically for delivery and reading/viewing on a PC or Mac, the web, or a hand-held device such as an iPad or mobile phone. It could be a short story, novel, documentary or poem using words, images, film or animation with audience interaction.

We are looking for creativity, so try to be imaginative to create an engaging story i.e. combining any number of media elements, such as words on a screen combined with images and video clips. New media writing can be created using a variety of tools i.e. a word processor, DV camera, social networking tools (i.e. Twitter), mobile phone/s, a scanner – anything goes!

WHAT ARE WE NOT LOOKING FOR?

We are not looking for a story/poem which you can upload to a web page or place on a disc.
We are not looking for screens of words uploaded to your blog and we are not looking for a slideshow of photos uploaded to Flickr or a video uploaded to YouTube.

WHAT ARE THE JUDGING CRITERIA?

The judges will be looking for the following:

• Innovative use of new media to create an engaging, satisfying narrative or poem
• Ease of accessibility for the reader/viewer
• Effective use of interactive elements
• An example of how new media can do things traditional media can't
• The potential to reach out to an wide audience, i.e. not just specialist interest groups

COMPETITION RULES

1. These terms and conditions are the competition rules (the “Rules”). By entering into the competition (the “Competition”), the entrants agree to be bound by these Rules. Failure by an entrant to comply with the Rules will result in his/her entry being disqualified.

2. The Competition is organised by Bournemouth University Higher Education Corporation (“BU”) through The Media School.

3. The objective of this Competition is to reward the best new media work based on the following criteria:

• innovative use of new media to create an engaging, satisfying narrative or poem;
• ease of accessibility for the reader/viewer;
• effective use of interactive elements;
• an example of how new media can do things that traditional media cannot do;
• the potential to reach out to a wide audience, i.e. not just specialist interest groups.

4. BU will award the following two prizes:

• Best Student New Media Writing Prize: a laptop donated by Adido, where the winner is a student who satisfies point d. of clause 7;
• Best New Media Writing Prize: an iPad 2. The winner of this prize can also be a winner of the Best Student New Media Writing Prize.

5. The Competition is free and open to any person whatever his/her age or nationality.

6. To submit his/her entry each entrant must do the following by Monday 31st October 2011, 12 pm :

• send an email to submissions@newmediawritingprize.co.uk including the valid URL address of the entrant’s work for entries accessible on the Internet; or
• send an email to submissions@newmediawritingprize.co.uk including the explanation of how the panel can access the entrant’s work for entries which can only be viewed on a mobile phone or another electronic device; and
• supply the information listed in clause 7 below.

It is possible for one person to submit more than one entry provided each entry is submitted separately. It is possible for several persons to submit a joint entry provided one entrant is identified as the main contact.

7. Each entry should contain the following information within the text of the entry email:
title of the work;

• entrant’s contact details: name, email address, telephone number and postal address. For joint entries, all entrants’ contact details must be provided with identification of the main entrant for contact purposes;
• entrant’s short autobiography (50-100 words). For joint entries, all entrants must provide their autobiographies;
• entrants who wish to submit a work for the Best Student New Media Writing Prize must provide a proof of identity which should be displayed in the body of the entry email, e.g. a scan copy of the entrant’s Student Union ID card or university enrolment number, so that the entrant’s student status can be verified by BU;

No attachments will be accepted. The email may contain links but may not contain footnotes or formatted text.

8. All work entered in the Competition must be original material. The copyright in such work remains with the entrant(s). Each entrant agrees to grant BU a perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to use his/her submitted work in BU’s corporate publications, on the BU website and new media writing partners' websites, in BU’s advertising and marketing materials and for display purposes.

9. Each entrant hereby warrants that the work which (s)he submits for this Competition does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party and BU reserves the right to disqualify any entrant who has submitted a work which, in BU’s opinion, constitutes a potential or actual infringement of third parties’ rights.

10. BU will acknowledge receipt of each entry by email. The entries will be reviewed by a panel consisting of BU, Andy Campbell (digital writer and designer), Sophie Rochester (editor at The Literary Platform website), and Christine Wilks (2010 prize overall winner). BU will not read any email from entrants nor will it send any email to entrants during the review period. BU will notify entrants if they have been shortlisted by a further email within two weeks of the last date of submission (31st October 2011). Shortlisted entries will be showcased at BU’s premises during the week of the BU Awards Ceremony on Wednesday 23rd November 2011. Winners will be announced as part of the BU Awards Ceremony. The winning entries will be featured in the high profile new media web-hub, The Literary Platform.

11. Entrants hereby agree that participating in this Competition does not imply nor can it be construed as creating any obligation for BU to enter into any undertaking with any entrants in the future.

12. BU does not accept any liability for any damage, loss, injury or disappointment suffered by any entrants as a result of participating in the Competition or being selected. BU does not exclude its liability for death or personal injury as a result of its negligence.

13. The personal information entrants provide to BU when entering the Competition will only be used by BU in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 and BU will not disclose it to third parties other than the non-BU members of the panel as named in clause 10.

14. BU reserves the right to mention the entrants’ names in relation with this Competition and all entrants agree to take part in any publicity or promotion that may be organised by BU in relation with this Competition whether or not their work has been selected under clause 10.

15. BU reserves the right to cancel or amend the Competition or these Rules at any time if deemed necessary in BU’s opinion or in the case of circumstances arising outside of BU’s control upon prior written notice to all entrants.

16. In the event of any disputes regarding these Rules, the Competition process, the results and all other matters relating to the Competition, the decision of BU shall be final and conclusive.

17. The Competition and the Rules shall be subject to and governed by English law and any disputes arising from or under them shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

18. Entrants can contact BU at: jpope@bournemouth.ac.uk

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For queries: jpope@bournemouth.ac.uk

For submissions: submissions@newmediawritingprize.co.uk

Website: http://www.newmediawritingprize.co.uk